Accent Girl
by candy4yourEYEZ
Summary: Ally works at McDonalds, entertaining customers by imitating accents. Arthur is an art student with a flair for the supernatural. When their paths cross, who knows what'll happen! fem!Alfred/Arthur, UsUk, Joker
1. Prologue

Ally worked at McDonalds, and she was proud of it. It was one of her several jobs (she was saving money to send her little brother, Matthew, to college) and she'd gained fame as 'Accent Girl,' because she always asked the customers for their order in the accent of their choice. Russian, Indian, Scottish, you name it and she could imitate it perfectly. She hadn't met a customer she couldn't charm, until that one Friday…

Arthur was a college student, an art major to be more specific. He had talent, and his favorite things to draw were fairy tale creatures. He drew them so realistically that it was almost like they were going to spew fire at you from the page, or hop off the corner of his notebook and sprinkle fairy dust on the closest passerby. Of course, with this talent came a certain amount of pride. Combined with his normal British stubbornness, he'd never met someone he couldn't offend, until that one Friday…

* * *

Authoress' Random Ramble

Yes, ANOTHER chapter fic. This one will be updated every Friday

Less than three. Less than three


	2. First Meeting

Arthur woke up with a hangover- again. He'd been out drinking the day before, trying to forget that his girlfriend had decided he paid too much attention to his art and not enough to _her_. Lovely. And he had a free Friday- no paintings to finish, no sketches to work on, no art history tests, no getting dragged out by his obnoxious friend Gillian as she tried to get him back into his rebellious state of mind (if his mother had ever found out… The last time she'd seen him looking like a punk, she'd expressly stated that if she saw him like that again, he would be disowned). Arthur shuddered, remembering her last attempt. Only that psycho albino would get him drunk off tequila and then re-pierce his nose. Only. Her.

Crazy girl. He couldn't really refuse his model, though, she was one of the only people who would put up with him for an extended period of time. Any other person not related to him would storm out after just a few hours with his sharp tongue and never come back. She just bit back. But ah, now he was rambling. He needed something to get the taste of whiskey out of his mouth, preferably something greasy and so bad for him that he'd regret it later. Which meant one place, and one place only. McDonalds.

Arthur stumbled over to his dresser, pulling out the first articles of clothing he could find. Hm… A pair of black skinny jeans and a tight green t-shirt that matched his eyes. Not bad. He showered quickly and changed, ignoring his hangover with the ease of long practice. After pocketing the keys for his apartment and a ten dollar bill, he took the elevator downstairs, ignoring a girl- whore, more like it- that was not so subtly staring at him, and hurried to the garage to get his motorcycle.

"Grease and salt, then I'll be fine," he chanted under his breath like it was some kind of mantra, forgoing his helmet in favor of feeling the wind.

After a few minutes, he pulled into a space in the parking lot, scowling as he opened the door and stepped inside. There weren't that many people at the fast food joint (alright, no people besides Arthur and those that worked there), and the one girl on duty looked too cheerful for his current state of mind. Well, that's what he got for having fast food cravings at three in the morning.

"Hello," Arthur winced internally at the girl's interested expression when she heard his British accent. "Can I have a large fry and a coke?"

"Are you British?" She was grinning, a huge grin that showed impossibly white teeth and made her seem like a little kid. "Like, as in actually British?"

"… Yes, and can I have my food?" Arthur frowned even more, why did these bloody Americans seem to love his accent so much? If they hadn't rebelled against his homeland, they'd be speaking like this too!

"Sure, coming right up! I'm Ally, but you could probably tell from my name tag" the girl- Ally- chattered, calling Arthur's order back to someone else in the kitchen. "So, why're you here in America? Did you get here recently, or were you born here? And if you're born here, why do you have that awesome accent?"

Arthur's eye twitched at both the incessant questions and the unintentional usage of Gillian's favorite word. "Why are all Americans so inquisitive? Is it a habit of yours to pry into other people's business? And why is my accent so interesting anyway?"

"I don't think all Americans are like me," Ally looked pensive, "and I don't think I'm prying that much. And will you answer my questions if I answer yours?"

"… Fine," Arthur rolled his eyes. Damn infuriating girl. "I was born in England, not this dumb country, and I'm here on an art scholarship. Good enough for you?"

"Actually, yes!" Ally beamed again, and handed him his food. "And I like your accent because it's really cute!"

She observed Arthur's blush with interest, but then he turned around and went to sit down the furthest possible distance from the serving counter.

"Really cute…" Arthur scoffed, trying not to look back at the blonde, blue eyed girl. "She's just being an obnoxious American…"

"Obnoxious, am I?"

* * *

Authoress' Random Ramble

:DDDD Yes, I'm so evil, leaving you with a cliffhanger ^^

I'm sorry about the late update, I went to my school's first football game of the season on Friday (WE WON 47 TO 14!) and didn't have time to write the chapter ;_; sorry. I'll try not to be late next time

Less than three. Less than three


	3. Names and Offers

"… Yes, you're obnoxious." Arthur said the first thing that came to mind. "And shouldn't you be working at the counter? I'm pretty sure your shift didn't just conveniently end in time for you to irk me."

"Of course it did," Ally grinned. "I'm Accent Girl. I take my shifts when I want to, but no one will care if I take a five minute break when there are no other customers."

"… And, pray tell," Arthur had mastered the perfect monotone from years of talking to people who only liked him for his talent. He figured the more he went along with this Ally, the sooner she'd leave him alone. "What does being 'Accent Girl' entail?"

"… Whoa… So, you've never heard of me?" Ally looked shocked, and her eyes- was it even possible for a human to have eyes that wide? What was wrong with this chick?

"Apparently not." Arthur continued eating his fries, flashing his patented glare of death at the other blonde when she stole one. "Are you going to explain, or eat the food that I paid for. For myself."

"Meh, I don't know," Ally smirked. "Like I said, you're cute. What's wrong with a girl that wants to hang out with a cute guy?"

"Hopefully nothing, unless said girl's definition of hanging out is annoying said guy and stealing his food. Which is not hers." Arthur moved his fries away from Ally, not trusting her to keep her hand away from his food.

"… Well, basically, I talk in different accents here." Ally completely ignored Arthur's summary of the 'hypothetical' situation, instead choosing to talk about something that she thought was interesting. "For some reason, it's a big hit. Like, as in people come here just to hear me talk. I even had a stalker once! Some guy called Ivan…" She pouted pensively, and Arthur couldn't help but think that she had a perfect facial structure, and lovely coloring. He was designing a scene in his head, one that he started sketching on his napkin with a writing utensil he kept in his coat pocket as Ally continued rambling.

"… Why are you drawing with an eyeliner pencil?" Ally leaned over, accidentally bumping their knees under the table, and Arthur flushed and leaned back.

"None of your business." He looked critically at his idea; Ally was sitting in a simple green field, with flowers dotting the grasses, and reaching one hand up to touch the clouds.

Ally snatched the napkin, oblivious to Arthur's protests. "Hey! That's really good! And… is that me?"

"Of course it's you, idiot," Arthur snapped, grabbing the now crumpled piece of paper and folding it carefully so it didn't smudge. "Who the hell else would I be drawing?"

"… Your girlfriend or something?" Ally had brightened when Arthur said he was drawing her, but sunk back into her pout when she realized that Arthur might have another woman in his life.

"I was dumped last night," he scowled, focusing on eating his food as fast as possible. "Not that it's any of your business."

"… Well, we're supposed to care about our customers, so technically it is our business!" Ally beamed, and patted Arthur on the arm. "And if she gave up a guy with a legit Brit accent, she's a pretty dumb girl anyway."

"… I'm not sure whether I should be offended or feel complimented." Arthur furrowed his eyebrows and looked out the window; a family of seven was unloading out of a suburban, and probably coming in here to order. Oh joy, more of this stupid country's youth being filled to the brim with grease and fat and Lord knows what else.

Not saying that it didn't taste good, but still…

"Take it as a compliment. And… I don't think I ever got your name!" Ally looked at him expectantly, and Arthur rolled his eyes. This girl never gave up.

"Arthur. Arthur Kirkland." Ally grinned, and held out a hand for him to shake.

"Jolly good to meet you, Arthur old chap!"

"… Not funny." Arthur shook the proffered hand anyway. He paused as he tried to fit what he wanted to say in a simple sentence, but he was having issues…. Oh, screw it. "Do you want to model for me?"

* * *

Authoress' Random Ramble

Yes… Another cliffhanger XP I'M SORRY

… That's about all I have to say for this… Oh, and that you should remember Ivan. HE'S IMPORTANT.

Less than three. Less than three.


	4. Deal is Sealed

"… What-huh?" Ally said intelligently, staring at Arthur like he had just professed to a secret love of BDSM, or that he embroidered in his spare time.

"It's quite simple. I'm an artist, but not many people can deal with my temper. You've managed to make it five minutes without storming off or slapping me, so I think you can handle working with me." Arthur sighed and rolled his eyes, outwardly impatient but inwardly nervous. What would she say? He couldn't paint Gillian; she wouldn't sit still unless she was drunk and passed out! And the last time he had tried that so he could get a good idea for painting; she'd punched him so hard when she woke up that Arthur swore the bruise never completely faded.

To put it succinctly, he needed a new source of inspiration, and Ally looked as good a deal as Arthur would get for a while.

"… There has to be another reason, besides that you think I'm a nice person." Ally's skepticism was coming into play now; after being hit on for so long, she had learned that men tried all types of schemes to win a cute girl.

"The last girl that vaguely interested me as a subject for a painting was my best friend. She punched me after she learned that I used her low alcohol tolerance to get her to sit still, but it was still a lovely portrait. Unfortunately, she's refused to model again. I need a source of inspiration, and I can't just pick any common girl off the street and say 'Oh! You'll do!' I need someone with an inner light, someone that has spirit and shows it, someone that's really _alive_." Arthur leaned across the table, forgetting all about his food as his voice got huskier with passion for his art, and his emerald eyes seemed to be boring into Ally's very soul, convincing her, pleading with her-

Wait, what the heck? Some random British dude shows up and asks her to model, and now she's fangirling over how cute he is? And… he said he couldn't pick any common girl… Did he think her uncommon? Pretty? What was with this boy?

"I'll pay you, of course, if that's what you're worried about," Arthur waved a hand dismissively. "Probably more than the pittance you get here. How does 200 an hour sound?"

Ally's mouth dropped. That was definitely more than twice what she earned at Mickey D's! "A-are you serious?" With that money, she could help provide better for Matt, and maybe even indulge in something for herself!

"Of course I'm serious, you ninny. Why wouldn't I be? Two hundred an hour for the first painting, and then if that goes well, I might up it." Arthur frowned briefly at Ally's expression, before once again rolling his eyes, this time flicking Ally lightly on the forehead with a finger when she didn't respond. "I take my art seriously, Ally. This is a professional relationship, I'm not going to drag you to my apartment and take advantage of you. Is it a deal?"

"… Deal." Ally said before she could change her mind, and shook Arthur's proffered hand. "But what if I don't want to quit my job here?"

"… I'm sure I can call in and get the manager to give you time off when I need you for a painting." At the disbelieving look on Ally's face, Arthur chuckled. "My parents send me quite the sum for schooling; they think that I'll end up spending it on booze and excess furniture and other rubbish like that. I can afford to pay you and bribe your manager once in a while."

"Thank you," Ally thought the words felt odd rolling off her tongue. "Thanks for… I don't know, just showing up randomly and helping."

"… It's what I do best," Arthur remarked cryptically, before scribbling his number on a scrap of paper and handing it to Ally. He got up, smiling, threw his trash away, and walked out the door. As Ally sat and stared at the spiky numbers, she heard the roar of a motorcycle fading off into the distance.

* * *

Authoress' Random Ramble

Yes, fail chapter is fail ;_;

Well, next week's will have them meeting for the painting, and give you a bit more insight into Matthew and Ally's home life! SO, tada until next Friday!

Less than three. Less than three.


	5. Second Thoughts

Ally was still a little dazed as she unlocked her apartment and stepped inside. Had all that really happened?

"… Ally?" Matthew, her younger brother, waved his hand in front of her face. "You alive?"

"Yeah!" Ally beamed; she couldn't let Matt think anything was 'off' about her. She had to stay strong for her little bro. "How'd you do on that big test?"

"I aced it," Matt looked down, flushing a little. His sister had never been better than him at schoolwork, so he felt bad when announcing his perfect grades. Even if they weren't living with their parents anymore…

"That's awesome!" Ally pulled Matt into a spine cracking hug, before going over to the fridge to search for food. "We got anything good?"

"I got you some Monster, I thought you'd need it." Matthew didn't approve of his sister's energy drink addiction; but when she was working three jobs to keep him in school, he just shut up and did what he could for her. He also didn't mention that he'd gone lunch less to buy her the six pack of soda, and that some creepy guy at school kept staring at him in a way that made him nervous.

"Amazing." Ally grabbed a can, popped the tab, and chugged it. "Hopefully I won't need to survive on two hours of sleep anymore, so you'll be able to stop freaking out about me getting a heart attack from these things."

"… Why?" Matt sat back down on the bed they shared, pulling out his AP Physics homework and a pen he'd found on the floor under his lunch table. It was probably just Ally being Ally anyways; ever optimistic.

"Well, see, I was working at Mickey D's again- ha, of course you know that-, and this really cute British guy walked in-" Ally paused at the look on Matthew's face, then immediately remedied her mistake. "No, Matt! I don't mean that I'm gonna sleep with him or something, chill!" Matthew's face softened somewhat; he would rather whore himself than have his sister stoop that low. "He's an artist, he goes to the college nearby! He said that I look awesome and hero-like, and he wants me to model for him!"

"Really." Matt had stopped trying to work on the homework, and was just staring doubtfully at Ally. "He's not interested in you at all, he just wants to paint you."

"Pretty much!" Ally flashed a grin and a thumbs up. "I know, you're thinking who could possibly resist me? I guess he's too British. He probably still holds a grudge for that awesome American style Tea Party we held." Matthew rolled his eyes, smiling despite himself. His sister always knew how to reassure him.

"Ok, I guess. You're a big girl." Ally stuck her tongue out at her younger brother; sometimes it was like he was the elder one! "Just… try not to get hurt." He looked down at his homework, blinking back tears that had surfaced. Matt couldn't handle it if he ever saw Ally sad, depressed… _broken_, again.

"Mom's gone, Mattie." Ally set the empty can on the counter, and sat next to her brother, wrapping an arm around his shoulders comfortingly. "She's gone, she can't hurt us anymore. Everything's gonna be fine." She looked around at their semi-squalid apartment, and wryly shook her head. "It has to be fine, it has to get better. Because it can't get much worse."

* * *

Ally stood outside, shivering a bit in the cold, as she typed Arthur's number into a pay phone.

"One, seven six six, two seven four, eight four seven four," she muttered under her breath as she punched each individual numeral. "I really hope he picks up…" She waited, tapping her foot impatiently. One of then places she worked at was letting her have the day off, and she wanted to get this over with so she could figure out whether or not Arthur was screwing her over.

" 'Ello?" He answered groggily. Huh. Apparently he sounded even more British after waking up.

"It's Ally. Remember? That girl you met at McDonalds and wanted to paint?" Ally frowned when he didn't answer right away, and heard something in the background. "… Wait… did you just tell someone to put their pants on? Ew!"

"No, it's not what you think- Gillian, put that away, you are not re-piercing my nose!- sorry, it's my insane friend- yes, you're insane, not awesome- and she's trying to –bloody 'ell, get that away from me! Where'd you even get a piercing gun?- sorry again, just- GILLIAN, WILL YOU STOP TRYING TO PUNTURE MY SKIN AND LET ME TALK, FOR THE SAKE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND PURE IN THIS WORLD. THANK YOU." Ally stared at the phone, wondering what she had just gotten herself into.

* * *

"Well, isn't he rich?" Ally muttered, staring up at the luxurious apartment building Arthur had given her directions to. Speaking of the (British) devil, he was standing just inside the nice, warm lobby. Ally pulled her threadbare coat closer, and pushed open the door.

"Ally, Gillian. Gillian, Ally." Arthur motioned to the smirking albino at his side. "Gillian was my old model- now she's my best friend, and doesn't want me to paint her anymore."

"I'm too awesome to sit there and not talk when I'm not getting paid!" Gil flicked her hair to the side, then started walking towards what was presumably the elevators. "Just to warn you… his room is sort of disturbing."

"I can deal with it!" Ally followed, cheered up by the warm atmosphere. "I'm a heroine, after all!"

"Girl," Gillian gave her a speculative look. "I thought I could deal with it too. Try not to scream when you see it."

Ally shut up after that, mulling her odd circumstances over in her mind.

And hoping that Arthur's apartment wasn't filled with illegal drugs, thousands of cats, or something equally disturbing.

* * *

Authoress' Random Ramble

… I'm an idiot. I uploaded this Friday, then forgot to publish it D: sorry!  
less than three. Less than three


	6. First Sketch

Ally had seen some pretty disturbing things in her lifetime. Un-cleaned public restrooms, milk that spoiled over a month ago, that Jersey Shore show, her little brother jerking off in the bathroom…

But this topped them all.

"… Holy shit…" Ally turned around, making sure that she hadn't entered some alternate dimension or something. "Am I hallucinating? Did you, like, pipe something through the vent so whoever came in here would see this? Because…" She shuddered, eyes wider than they'd ever been before. "I'm honestly sort of scared."

"Told you!" Gillian gasped in between cackles, "It's awesome!"

The 'awesome' in question was: walls painted lavender and rose, with unicorns, fairies, and other various magical creatures gallivanting all over.

"There's also this really creepy room he does all his weird spells and crap in," Gillian managed to catch her breath, "but seriously, I don't think you could make a funnier face, even if you saw that. I think I just herniated from laughing too much."

"Haha, brilliantly amusing." Arthur was scowling and blushing, "and no, I am neither gay nor on drugs. I painted this when I first moved in, and I was… well, not exactly sober."

"I can see that." After Ally got over the initial shock of fairy tale creatures EVERYWHERE, she saw how amazing they actually were. It was like he had seen them in real life, then traced from a photograph. "If you did this when you were drunk, then your sober painting must be mind blowing."

"Way to inflate his ego even more," Gillian sunk into a beanbag, grinning ear to ear. "If you wanna compliment someone, then you can just praise the awesome me."

"You're one to talk," Arthur yelled from where he was rooting through a pile of art supplies. "Didn't you take a test once where you put every single answer as 'The Awesome Me,' and then say that you were so awesome that you were the answer to everything?"

Ally raised an eyebrow at Gillian; had the other girl really been that obnoxious?

"Yeah, and that stupid teacher thought that I was wrong, so he failed me! He was so un-awesome that I just drew dinosaurs all over for the next test."

Apparently so.

"Ally?" Arthur reemerged from the piles of art supplies, holding a sketchbook that was nearly as big as him and a fistful of pencils. "I got what I needed; so if we can just find a place for you to pose I can start a preliminary sketch and see if anything comes to mind."

Ally nodded, not really having any idea what he was talking about, and Gillian sprang up from her beanbag.

"He means he wants you to sit somewhere, then he'll start drawing like a maniac and telling you to move in funky ways, testing how fast and how well you can change positions and expressions. It's just how he gets used to a new model, and makes sure that they get used to him. Not many do." Gillian, while she was talking, was busy dragging a couch away from the wall, and set it down in the middle of the crowded room so it faced Arthur.

Arthur propped up the sketchbook, taking a quick look over it. "Ally, can you lay flat on the sofa? Good, now sit up and support yourself with one hand, then the other should reach toward the ceiling. Facial expression… Curious, but sort of lazy, not apathetic. A mild curiosity- that's it! Just tilt your head slightly to the side…. Perfect! Now stay like that!"

* * *

Ally thought wryly that at least it would be a good workout, as her supporting arm was already starting to shake a bit. With all the jobs she had, there was no more time to go to the gym and work out, and she couldn't even find time in her schedule to run! Maybe with this modeling, she would be able to quite a job, and find time to get some muscle back. She used to be a third degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, back when she was in high school- Back when her parents still paid for everything. Ha. What was she thinking, if she had any extra time, either sleep or Matthew would have to be her first priority. Matt was naturally thin, but he looked almost too skinny for a boy his age… He was 18, damn it! He should be out partying with friends, not studying his butt off to get a free ride to college because Ally couldn't pay for anything and their parents' money was- No. It was best not to think of that. Deep in her thoughts, she didn't notice Arthur sketching furiously, or Gillian absentmindedly looking through her coat pockets.

* * *

Arthur was elated, thick strokes of graphite winding about the page, the outline of a leg here, the curve of a back there. It had been too long since he'd had a real model, one that didn't just listen to him and do what he said like a robot. Ally's expression had morphed from curiosity to a sort of wistfulness as she sat, and it was even more perfect than Arthur had imagined. He sketched the scene he'd originally thought of, but with a few alterations. Instead of sitting in a grassy field, Ally was sitting on a beach. She was wearing the same simple white dress, her knees and below immersed in the surf. The sky was slate, hinting at a storm to come, and her outstretched hand reached for a single spot of sunlight in the clouds. Her hair was down, curling a bit around her shoulders. He made a mental note to ask Gillian to mess with Ally's hair next time, so it wasn't always the same. Arthur paused for a second, eyeing his sketch with trepidation. Waves, waves… If she was near the ocean, he wanted the focus to be on her, but the ocean was a woman in its own right, and would not appreciate being shunted off to the side, just another part of the background. Aha! He added a few waves; the type one saw right before the big storm started and the sea was a thrashing, churning frenzy. This was amazing.

* * *

Gillian was not a kleptomaniac. She just enjoyed looking through what different people had, and drawing conclusions from what they carried around. She never actually took anything (unless it was from that jerk Roderich, but he totally deserved it. Totally), she- She didn't need to justify her awesome self to anyone! Gillian could do what she wanted to. Ooh, what was this? Gillian found a small, somewhat crumpled picture in Ally's coat pocket. It looked like a boy, maybe a year or two younger than Ally herself. And he was cute! Long- but not too long- blonde hair, light purple eyes, glasses, and- a weird curl sticking out. Hey! It was just like Luddy's girlfriend, Felicia! She had an odd curl too, but that one went out to the side. Well, whatever, the boy was cute. Gillian told her awesome brain to remember to ask Ally about him- when Arthur was finished drawing. He went ballistic if she interrupted a sketch. Completely. Ballistic.

* * *

"It's done," Arthur announced, looking proudly at the sketch. "It's done."

* * *

Authoress' Random Ramble

I am so sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am. My computer was inaccessible because of the frequent thunderstorms, and then my mom spent all day on it to fix the internet.

And, since the world seems to be against me getting reliable updates out on Friday, I'm changing the update status for this fic to Friday/Saturday/Sunday. My life is way too hectic, and I have, like, 7 other chapter stories to update XP

I must be insane.

OH, by the way, props to Fruity Loops of Pain for actually guessing what Artie's room was gonna look like... They must be psychic...

Less than three. Less than three.


	7. Psychobabble

"It's done," Arthur grinned in a way that couldn't be called anything but smug, and sat back, crossing his arms.

"You may all marvel at my artistic talents now," Gillian mocked him in a fake British accent. "Feel free to praise me excessively." She just grinned when Arthur flipped her a middle finger, and patted his head. "It's ok, shortie, you drew awesome. Like normal."

But while Gillian was messing with Arthur, Ally was staring at Arthur's drawing, for the first time realizing why he could probably afford to rent his posh apartment and pay her to model for him. He had a gift.

"This is…" she reached out, finger barely a centimeter from the paper, tracing the lines of the ocean. "Just… wow. It looks like it's a mini-me that's going to jump off the page, and you didn't even use color or work a really long time on it or anything!" Ally shut up, seeing as she couldn't find any words to express how impressed she was, and Gillian and Arthur were cackling hysterically. "What? What's so funny?"

"That is the same exact thing our hag of a professor said." Arthur stopped laughing to explain, but Gillian looked like she was going to pee her pants. "She didn't believe I was as good as I thought I was, so she had me paint her. All you're missing is the nasally tone to her voice. Like some middle aged lady in the library telling you to hush up."

Ally tried again, getting it perfect on the first try. Hey, she wasn't Accent Girl for nothing! "Will you please quiet down, Miss Gillian. Miss Gillian! I asked you to be quiet, is that too hard of a concept for you to comprehend? Miss Gillian! Get off that floor and stop laughing this instant, heaven help me, I will whap your palm raw with my ruler! I have had enough, Miss Gillian! If you do not cease and desist, I will be forced to make a call home to your parents!" Even Arthur was busting a gut at the last part, bent over and trying to breathe normally again. "Really, youngsters these days," Ally stuck her nose in the air and posed with a hand on her hip. "No respect for anybody. Why, when I was a young whippersnapper like you, I had to walk uphill to school- both ways! And it was always snowing."

"Now that," Gillian gasped out, "is talent. You sounded just like the bitch!"

"Gillian," Arthur winced. "No profanity, please."

"Pfft," Gillian rolled her eyes. "Ally, Artie is the biggest hypocrite around. Get him drunk and he can out-curse anyone- in, like, seven different languages!"

"My name is not Artie. Now, moving back to the original subject," Arthur said loudly.

"Marveling at your artistic talents?" Gillian lay down on the carpet, propping herself up with an arm. "Because I think we can find more interesting things to marvel about. Like, for example, my awesomeness. Or the fact that female spotted hyenas don't have vaginas."

"… Gillian, as much as I appreciate your ridiculous store of odd- and slightly disturbing- trivia bits, you were not the original subject to which I was referring." Arthur sighed, doodling vines on his hand while he waited for Gillian to stop mocking his proper grammar. "Alright, so-"

"You know, if that whole painter thing doesn't work out for ya, you can always be a tattoo artist!" Ally pointed at Arthur's hand, which now had a Union Jack and a tomato included among the vines. "Because that's pretty awesome."

"Hey! The adjective 'awesome' is only to be used in the proximity of the awesome me, about the awesome me!" Gillian pouted.

"Now that you're all finished interrupting me," Arthur switched from his normal accent to a heavier one (almost Scottish) to get their attention. "… What the blazes was the original subject anyways?"

"… Don't ask me!" Ally shrugged, then looked at the clock. "Da-" she started, then remembered Arthur's dislike of profanity, and changed what she was about to say mid word. "Dang! It's 12:30 already!" She looked down at her stomach reflexively- and it started growling. "Not funny!" Ally protested, holding in her stomach to hush up the noises as Arthur and Gillian began to laugh again.

"Jeez, you sound like you stuck a puma in there or something!" Gillian smirked at Ally's frown, and got up and patted her on the back. "I'm kidding, girl. Now, Artie, you be a good maid and go get us some food. Preferably bought from somewhere, because I don't want my cause of death to be labeled as 'ingested toxic substance.' Ally and I are gonna have a talk." Gillian gave Ally no time to protest, dragging the taller girl into the spare bedroom- what kind of apartment had a spare bedroom?- and shoved her onto the bed. Where she bounced, because the mattress was just that springy. Stupid rich people.

"What?" Ally scooted back on the bed, confused as to why Gillian was eying her with a strange expression.

"Before you start working for Artie, there's some things you need to know," Gillian pushed Ally over again and flopped on the bed. "His mom is a controlling bitch. Arthur used to be this totally badass punk; leather jacket, piercings, motorcycle, the lot. His stupid mother- and she's not even his real mom, she's his step mom- got all pissy about it, so she basically forced him to go back to a normal, preppy rich kid. Arthur's probably got some image issues because of this, self-doubt, inferiority complex- he has, like, 7 older brothers- the works. I've been trying to get him back to the way he was for the past year or so. Honestly, he doesn't show it, but the kid's a suicide risk."

Ally stared at Gillian, not sure whether to believe her or get out of the apartment as fast as possible to get away from the girl- because she obviously had problems.

"I'm not kidding," Gillian didn't look like she was kidding. "I'm actually majoring in psychology, the art degree was just for shits and giggles. I figured there had to be a ton of depressed artists, so this was the best way for me to get some practice, see the textbook theories in real life. Artie's a classic. Never had parental approval, so he went all badass, then his parents finally stepped in to 'fix him,' and now he's back to the way he was before- but he's not happy. Actually, he's even more depressed than before, because now his parents just ignore him more than usual- aside from his mom hiring bodyguards to tail him around and make sure he doesn't sully the family image. That's parental love right there. I wanna find a way to get him back to the way he was before. Arthur's a good kid, it would suck to have another great artist die so young."

"… You talk like you're a thousand years older than you are," Ally raised her eyebrows, wondering if this was all just psychobabble that Gillian had learned in her college classes. "How old are you, anyway?"

"Eighteen," Gillian smirked, enjoying the look of shock that flitted across Ally's face.

"Eighteen? How are you only eighteen? That's the same age as my little brother, and he's not out of high school yet!" … Ally didn't like the look on Gillian's face.

"Really? Is he that cute kid you had a picture of in your jacket pocket? He's my age? He's single, right?"

Definitely did not like that look.

* * *

Authoress' Random Ramble

Yes, I try my hardest to get chapters out on time, but please be awesome people and be understanding. Besides all the fanfics I have, I have advanced classes (I'm getting almost 3 or 4 hours of homework a night) and 6 extracurriculars to contend with. So please don't be too angry if I have chapters in the future that are late, too.

Well, that being said, how'd you like the mini-peek into Artie's past and Gillian's real reason for being there?

Less than three. Less than three.


End file.
